Why Do Women Read More Fiction?

Working Paper #6, 1998

Steven J. Tepper

ABSTRACT

The gender gap in fiction reading has been largely ignored by
sociologists and scholars in the field of reading research. This
paper investigates three primary explanations for why women read
more fiction than men, including: the enduring influence of separate
spheres ideology, differences in cognition and prose literacy
and differences in work status and available free time. Data analysis
using two large-scale national surveys reveals that the doctrine
of separate spheres, and its influence on childhood socialization,
explains much of the gap in fiction reading. This paper contributes
to gender theory by linking concepts of separate spheres, leisure
participation and fiction reading.